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Akbar Novruz

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Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings have fallen to their lowest levels since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, according to recent surveys conducted by Russia's leading polling organizations, AzerNEWS reports.

A survey by the state-run All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) recorded the sharpest weekly decline in Putin's approval rating in nearly two years. According to the poll, the share of respondents approving of the president's performance fell by 3.5 percentage points, from 70.4% to 66.9%.

Russian outlet Agentstvo noted that the last comparable weekly decline occurred in August 2024, when Ukrainian forces launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region, causing Putin's approval rating to drop from 77.1% to 73.6%.

The latest decline is part of a broader downward trend that has been observed since the spring. Russia's three main polling organizations—VTsIOM, the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), and the independent Levada Center—have all reported weakening public support for the president, although each uses different survey methodologies.

VTsIOM changed its polling methodology in May, shifting from exclusively telephone interviews to a combination of telephone and face-to-face surveys, citing communication challenges. Following the methodological change, the center reported a temporary rebound in Putin's approval rating from 65.6% in mid-April to 70.4% in June before the latest decline.

Meanwhile, the Public Opinion Foundation, which conducts face-to-face interviews at respondents' homes, reported that 70% of Russians approve of Putin's performance, down five percentage points since mid-June. According to the organization, this represents the president's weakest result since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when his approval rating stood at 64%.

The independent Levada Center also reported a decline, placing Putin's approval rating at 74% in June, its lowest reading since the outbreak of the war.